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One of the biggest problems facing the occasional
do-it-yourself wood finisher and refinisher is simply understanding the
terminology used by professionals, writers and the staff in the aisle at your
local hardware store and home improvement center. I have included below some
terms which might cause some confusion if not understood; others will be added
at your suggestion. Whenever possible, the definitions will be written in our language
rather than that of chemists.
Hardwood – wood harvested from a leaf-bearing tree; common
examples include oak, maple and cherry; the definition does not refer to the
relative hardness of the wood; for instance, balsa, a soft, lightweight wood
used for model airplanes, is a hardwood. (see Softwood)
Oil-based – any wood finishing product in which the carrier,
also known as the solvent, is derived from petroleum; most often this carrier
is mineral spirits; oil-based products are noted for their longer drying times
than water-based products and the fumes which they emit upon evaporation;
proper ventilation and appropriate safety precautions recommended by the
manufacturer must be utilized.
Softwood – wood harvested from a tree bearing needles rather
than leaves, also known as a conifer; common examples include pine, fir and
cedar; despite their name, some softwoods are more durable than many hardwoods;
Southern yellow pine, for instance, is hard enough to be used as flooring; all
softwoods require a coat of Wood Conditioner prior to staining to reduce the
blotchiness caused by their irregular pores. (see Hardwood.)
Water-based – any wood finishing product in which the
carrier is water; water-based products dry faster than oil-based products and
do not emit any dangerous fumes; once dry, water-based products cannot be dissolved
with water.
Wood Conditioner – a thin-bodied sealer, generally either
oil-based or water-based, applied prior to an application of stain in order to
reduce the blotchiness caused by an irregular arrangement of pores in the wood;
prior to the introduction of commercial wood conditioners, wood finishers often
used thinned-down shellac as a pre-stain conditioner, but the addition of wax
to modern shellacs has made this practice unadvisable, as the wax can cause
adhesion and penetration problems for the subsequent stain and finish.
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